Fire Blooms

Enjoyed a beautiful fireworks night at the Mac after watching the A's defeat the Angels 9-2.

July 4

A tiny parade on our street today! I don't know most of the people who turned out but enjoyed the festivities that included balloons, dogs and children dressed in costume, free hotdogs, lemonade, chips & dessert and the reading of the proclamation of independence.

Young Fan

A young fan at a recent ballgame.

Beyond Knitting at SJ Quilts & Textiles

Went to an interesting knitting show at the San Jose Quilts & Textiles Museum. I enjoyed the all-body knits by Mark Newport. The one on the right is called argyl man. Also on display are some incredible knitted wire pieces by Blanka Sperkova.

View From Nickel & Nickel

The Napa winery's garden had a lovely view of Mt. Tamalpais. We toured the grounds and tasted their selection of cabernets. Afterwards we had lunch at Don Giovanni and then took a cave tour at Del Dotto Caves. It was hot in Napa yesterday but no quite so stifling as Friday.

Joy, Migraine #5130

Buru Book

I've been making a book for the "Banned and Recovered" show. My banned author is Pramoedya Ananta Toer, an Indonesian writer who was imprisioned on Indonesia's Buru Island for 14 years without any charges made against him. The book form is a vertical accordion, with strings made of sinew running down both sides of the book. The inside pages are made of oiled paper, upon which wayang images are adhered using iron-on interfacing. The images and words are lifted from inkjet prints using gloss medium. The covers are made of mat board covered with brown paper, the clasps are abalone buttons I got in Argentina.

Green Fire

30x30 Reception at Varnish Gallery

Artspan's 30x30 reception was a resounding success. Works were selected from California College of the Arts graduates. It was a first Thursdays night so lots of people were roaming around, partying at gallery openings downtown and south of Market.

Beijing Opera via Oakland

Tyler singing a new opera at Laney College

Green Wedding Montage

People were asked to dress in green for this wedding. For the most part, they complied.

Dress Tent

Nomadic wearable architecture by Robin Lasser and Adrienne Pao at the Intervene/Interrupt Conference in Santa Cruz

Green Wedding

Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens' green wedding ceremony at Santa Cruz. Ring bearer Tina Takemoto urges Annie and Beth to smear and eat dirt as part green celebration.

DWR Benefits Department

A reunion of Benefits Department people from Dean Witter Reynolds

View of Islais Creek

A beautiful view of the old drawbridge across Islais Creek. Went to Islais Creek Studios last night to view the metal artists & welders' works. They have moved to this large warehouse site from their original location at Hunter's Point.

Mission Open Studios

Gallery Space at WorkSpace

Visited many open studios this weekend. Quite a treat as I am usually sitting in my Mission District studio waiting for people to come around. On Friday night we went to receptions at 1890 Bryant and Blue Studio. I was surprised at how much 1890 had expanded. Large studios were crammed with artists working in all media - painting, sculpture, jewelry, printmaking...There were also a number of large, yummy spaces for solo artists there. Among the notables, Chris Lieb (http://leibstudio.blogspot.com/), Cynthia Tom (http://www.cynthiatom.com/index.html) and Annie Arrasmith (http://www.1890bryant.com/anniearrasmith/index.html). Blue Studio is located in a gritty part of the Mission but here too, lots of artists. I saw several installations that were interesting. On Saturday we hit all three ArtExplosion locations and CellSpace. I met a number of artists whose work I admire - Rebecca Bennett (http://www.monsterartist.com/), Georgianne Fastaia (http://badfishstudios.mosaicglobe.com/) and Kevin Pincus (http://www.kevinpincus.com/). Today, I visited WorkSpace and ActiveSpace. WorkSpace had a lovely gallery on the ground floor and many artists' studios on the second. ActiveSpace is brand-new and houses artists and microbusinesses. It's great to see so many artists in my neighborhood!

Adventures in Napaland

Barrel-tasting at Del Dotto Winery

Hundertwasser Architecture at the Quixote Winery

Making cake at the Buttercream Bakery

Just returned from a 2.5 day vacation in wine country, courtesy of several gift certificates. On Sunday we met up with friends for lunch at Bistro Don Giovanni just off Hwy 29. With a sizeable gift certificate to be used, we ordered a variety of menu items including a delicious fried olive appetizer, calamari fritti, pizza Margherita and several main courses. An all-male Japanese tour group was seated close by and we watched as several trays of hamburgers and pizzas were delivered to their table. Then we drove to the Del Dotto winery for a tour of the wine cave and barrel tasting of many varieties of cabernets and ports. The caves are dug into the hillside and remain cool even on the hottest days. Our guide taught us how to properly "open" the flavors of red wine - ie, sip first, then slowly rotate the glass 360 degrees. He was completely against the vigorous swirling that seems to be the trend these days. According to him, you swirl away the best flavors that way. We also visited the Elizabeth Spencer winery in Rutherford for more wine tasting: chardonnays, pinots and cabs. Our dinner was at Bouchon in Yountville, a Thomas Keller restaurant. The appetizers were quite delicious but there was an unacceptable delay between the starters and the main course. And the main course, coquille st Jacque, was exceedingly mediocre. Disappointing experience.

We stayed at Meadowoods for 2 nights. Our cabin was very comfortable, with a nice big tub, large bed and a fireplace in the living room area. We were surrounded by oak trees all around and woke to birdsong in the morning. Had breakfast at their grill on Monday. The food was good, though not exceptional. After a forgettable walk around St. Helena (see previous blog), we visited the Quixote winery, famous as much for their wines as the architecture by Hundertwasser. It is the only Hundertwasser building in N. America and took 7 years to build. The wines were quite lovely here as well. We especially loved the 2004 Petite Syrah. That evening we had an exceptional dining experience at the Meadowoods restaurant. We were treated to a medley of tiny, delicious dishes that included toro, parsnip souffle, squab, mackerel, cheeses and fresh ice cream. This was the best meal we had during our short trip.

On our drive home, we stopped at the Buttercream Bakery for a delicious breakfast. They bake everything there so the biscuits were fluffy, straight out of the oven and full of buttermilk flavor. Our last stop was at the DiRosa Preserve in Carneros, which houses the private art collection of Rene DiRosa. The collection is massive and the pieces are very much to DiRosa's personal taste. There were a lot of works by Robert Arneson, Roy DeForest, Viola Frey and Enrique Chagoya but there were also countless works by many other Bay Area artists. It was also mating season for the peacocks on the ground. There was quite a bit of loud screeching and tailfeather displays going on.

Strong Bladder Control Needed in St Helena

Spending a few vacation days in Napa county. We decided to explore the town of St Helena this morning, do some window shopping, enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee, look for a bookstore...We were impressed with Main Street lined with interesting shops and cafes. We decided to start with a cup of coffee and pastry and incidentally, M had to use the bathroom. We stopped in at Hotel St Helena, which advertized a coffee bar. Went in, asked the front desk lady where the coffee bar was. "We aren't doing business with them at the moment," she said. When we asked where the nearest cafe with a toilet was, she suggested the Model Bakery a few doors down. When we said they appeared not to have a toilet, she said, "Oh, there's bound to be one 3-4 blocks away from Main Street, let me draw you a map." I cut her short and asked if M could use the toilet directly in front of us. No, not allowed, as we weren't staying with them. We trudged back to the Model Bakery where M was told that not only were they not offering toilets, but no shop on Main St had toilets for visitors! This is apparently a point of pride in St Helena. No explanation was given - just no toilets even if you dine here.M finally found relief at the Chevron gas station several blocks away. When I asked what's up with the lack of toilets in town, the friendly Chevron guy said it's just their uppity ways. He then pointed us down Adams St to River House Books and Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company right next it. We purchased some books and read them at the cafe over Jamaican blue mountain coffee and wine cake. This pleasant experience balanced out the weird one on Main Street, but our recommendation is, "Don't visit St Helena without emptying your bladder somewhere else first."

Dian

Hessy's sister Dian passed away on April 4 in Jakarta after a courageous battle with cancer. I traveled in Turkey with Hessy and Dian in 2002. Dian exemplified the modern Indonesian woman - a competent careerwoman working for the United Nations and a strong-willed person comfortable in her Muslim faith. This is a photo of her looking pensive in Mevlana, home of Rumi and the whirling devishes. Dian and Hessy made a pilgrimage to Mecca a few years ago. I hope this scarf, which Dian bought during our journey in Turkey, kept her cool during the day and warm at night. I will miss her bright laughter and flirtatious smile.

Gallery 415

Visited this contemporary Latin American gallery at 49 Geary yesterday. Featured was Cuban artist Ramses Larzabal. He creates his pieces with industrial materials tied together with shoe laces and thread.

Desmond Tutu

I went to hear Desmond Tutu speak at the Fairmont today. Jane Wales, President of the World Affairs Council, asked him a series of questions about Zimbabwe, Tibet, Myanmar, Kenya, all hot spots that he had visited and tried to moderate dialogue. He spoke first about Mugabe, who had been highly regarded by African and other World Leaders as the liberator of Zimbabweans. He was the shining star until Nelson Mandela came along. Tutu said how difficult it must have been for Mugabe to have become, almost overnight, a nonentity. Most people would have difficulty dealing with such a fall from popularity and respect, he reminded us. The second half of Mugabe's tenure has been roiled by conflict and the tearing apart of the social order (Tutu reminded us of how advanced Zimbabwe had been as a country not so long ago). He felt there was still time for Mugabe to redeem himself, if he could find the moral courage to leave the political scene as peacefully as possible. Jane Wales reminded Tutu that Mugabe had unkind words to say about him. Tutu laughed and said, "Many people have unkind words to say about me." This view set the tone for the rest of his conversation. I was deeply impressed with Tutu's ability to not demonize even despots. He used his sense of humor to tell stories, teach lessons. About boycotting the Beijing Olympics, he said, "Don't force the athletes to boycott the games, but the world leaders should not be in attendance."

Old Paint

Fantasy Bed

A tableau at the Cow Palace Flower Show last week.

Journal of Possibilities

Journal

Collection Book

A few weeks ago I took a 3-day class from Gail Rieke called "Journal of Possibilities." On the first day we created a "collection book" that holds papers and envelopes that can collect anything from rubbings, journal-writings to ephemera found on our journey. On day 2, we decide what neighborhood to explore and spend the day collecting our experiences. People made rubbings of signs & manholes, took photos, wrote journals, drew pictures & maps, collected paper ephemera, etc. On day 3, we created the journal book from all of our experiences. Either "signatures" or unglued envelopes can be sewn on the book's spine.The length of the spine is determined by how many pieces one wants to include in the book. (Signatures are pieces of paper folded in half - may have many pages or just one sheet of folded paper). The sewing is a simple figure 8 stitch starting at the back and you can keep the strings uncut to attach danglies.

Sunrise Dallas

Photo taken on Saturday, February 23 from my room at the Adam's Mark hotel in Dallas.

Political Overpopulation

A political collage card from an anonymous friend. Missing is the beaming face our current leader. It's time for change.

Mission Pie

Took a break from a hectic day and went to Mission Pie. The ingredients for their pies are grown by urban children who volunteer on a farm as part of an after-school program just outside San Francisco. Even the flour for the pie is made from wheat harvested from the farm. Their coffee is the best in the city and the ever-changing seasonal pie selection is wonderful. I had a lemon pie today that included thinly sliced lemons (with peel). Quite an intense mix of sweet and tart.

Women on War

I'm working with Mission Cultural Center on this joint exhibition between Women's Caucus and Mission Cultural Center artists. Opening reception is Feb. 15 from 7-19 PM on 2868 Mission St, San Francisco. Lots of interest in the war theme, lots of interesting submissions. Together with this show will be an exhibition of works by Yolanda Lopez, this year's WCA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

After a visit to Chinatown yesterday I made these fun popup cards. One shop was ablaze in red - red good luck calligrahy, red ang bao's, red cards, red wrapping paper, red lottery sheets...really lovely on a dark and dreary winter's day.

Rain, Hail, Snow?

A beautiful sunrise with rain, clouds in the horizon and light.

Beach

Much larger waves at Mavericks at the moment....

Namako

These sea cucumbers were available at the Uontana Fish Market. We had one cut up and ate it as sashimi for dinner. The texture is hard and crunchy, sort of like biting into a tumor. It is delicious with a little soy and a squeeze of lemon.

Suma Temple

A row of bibbed/capped bodhisattvas in the cemetary of Suma Temple.

Happy New Year!

Wearing scarves and caps to guard against the cold, Harahoge jizos look out towards the sea. These stone bodhisattvas on Iki Island are purported to protect the women pearl divers. But I also heard they were built during a period of plague to drive evil spirits away.

Our Kyushu Bus Guide

She was the stuff of legend, a dreamwoman basu gaido-san from the 1960's. Her style was ultra-proper with funky beribboned hat, pin curls, form-fitting pinstripe suit and immaculate white gloves. She had a perfectly modulated voice and a good command of the local history and culture. To top it off, she sang local songs and hit tunes in a voice that induced us to either sing along or fall fast asleep. I enjoyed her dramatic recitation of the Heike Monogatari as we passed the area where the final battles of Dannoura were fought. She made jokes that no one laughed at and asked questions that were met with baffled silence. Still, for three days/two nights she served as our erstwhile and ever-smiling leader.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Greetings from the Squid Lady!

Hawks over Shimonoseki

Overlooking Shimonoseki on a rainy day. Two hawks troll for prey.

Spa Resort Hawaiians

A free hula lesson for all at the Spa Resort Hawaiians in Iwaki. This place was made famous by the movie, "Hula Girls." The former coal mining town was converted into a hotsprings/ spa resort after they ran out of coal in the 1970's. We took a free bus to the Hawaiians from Shinjuku (Tokyo). Even on a weekday, the place was packed by families wanting a cheap escape from the big city. The very reasonable price of our one-night's stay included a Japanese room (sleep on tatami), hula shows, dinner, breakfast and unlimited soaking in the baths. We could have also availed ourselves to the heated swimming pool and water slides but decided not to. We did try out all 4 bath options - a stinky steel tub (rotten pipes?) in our room, a large bath down the hall, a large bath in another wing of the hotel and the outdoors bath above the gift shops. The latter was quite charming, if one endured the cold walk from the changing area to the rocky hotsprings. There was also a smallish wooden building that served as a sauna. The water was hot but felt good in the chilly outdoors. Instead of the traditional yukata (cotton kimonos), we were all given muumuus (women) and Hawaiian shirts & pants (men). Most of us wore these outfits during our stay (see above). My only disappointment was that they didn't have any postcards of the resort or of the hula girls.
We had much of the following day to check out the area until the return bus in the afternoon. We took a free shuttle to the town of Yumoto and visited the Joban coal mining & dinosaur museum. It was a modest museum but worth the trip - the first half of the museum is devoted to dinosaur bones found in the region and the second half was a "trip" into the coal mines. One takes an elevator down and when the door opens, one is "underground." There were dioramas of coal miners from the earliest period until the 1960's when mine operations closed down. Just off the giftshop was a small exhibit of the Joban baseball teams (men's and womens). It funny to see "Hawaiian" cheerleaders. We were told that this town was once prosperous but went into decline once the coal was exhausted. Indeed, other than the Spa Resort Hawaiians, there wasn't much to enjoy here.

Field Trip in Chofu

I happened upon these students on a field trip. They carried clipboards and were writing things down. It was probably a biology trip, as the teacher was pointing to the various birds in the little creek below. The wild ducks in Chofu have grown fat and lazy, finding easy hand-outs from tourists. This road leads to the Kozanji temple and to a shrine dedicated to General Maresuke Nogi (1849-1912). Nogi quelled the Satsuma Rebellion, commanded Japanese troops during the Sino-Japanese war and Russo-Japanese war, and committed harakiri, along with his wife, after the death of Emperor Meiji.

Local Train

On a local train to Nishinomiya. The trains still have the same color schemes as the 1950's - green velvet seats; beige walls, round straps, chocolate brown exterior. Nonetheless times have changed; it used to be that people read manga on trains, now it's all texting, texting, texting.